


The bond that binds us together

by Martiepants



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Mates, Stiles Has Panic Attacks, Werewolf Mates, everything up until s3 is canon, sometimes at least idk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-23
Packaged: 2018-02-08 17:14:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1949523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Martiepants/pseuds/Martiepants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Derek finds out that the alpha pack wants to recruit him, he needs a plan to save himself and his pack. Luckily, Stiles has just the perfect idea, and Derek and Stiles is forced to act like mates to convince the alphas to leave the town alone. Stiles expects it to go smoothly, Derek has his doubts, but with 2 whole weeks to spend preparing by living attached at their hip, what could go wrong?</p><p> The answer? A whole lot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Prologue of a hopefully long series, I hope you enjoy it :)

It was a stupid decision, really. Letting his pack decide was one of the most foolish decisions he’d ever made (“Oh please, if we had let you decide we’d all be dead by now” Stiles interferes, which Derek supposes might be true, he’s known for his poor judgment. Not that he’d ever let Stiles know that of course, but still.)

A friend of his mom on the east coast had warned him that the Alpha Pack was coming in less than a month, and they were coming to convince Derek to join them. Which basically meant killing his pack to absorb their powers and go kill more people with other alphas after that. Derek would politely decline, if he thought that would work, but they all knew it wouldn’t. And so, the whole pack had started their research. They’d stayed up for 48 hours straight, living on coffee and Red Bull, until they had finally found something that may work. 

After two whole days of reading old books and goofing around on bullshit websites on the internet, (Stiles had brought his own computer, not believing Derek when he said he owned one, feigning shock when he saw Derek’s MacBook once he got to the loft. After a while he told Derek he understood though, “where else would you find optimal scowling techniques?” Derek had picked up his laptop and left the room.) Stiles had looked up from a very old, very heavy book, and asked Derek if the Alphas mate was considered part of the pack. Derek answered that yes, usually the mate was considered a part of the pack, above the betas, but below the Alpha. Almost like a next in command, if you will. 

Stiles had looked thoughtfully down on the book before he gathered the pack and said that he thought he had found a solution. It all went downhill from there.

 

“Derek, would you be so kind to explain how the whole mate thing works?” Stiles cleared his throat, looking across the room at Derek, who had seated himself in the leather chair, next to the matching sofa.  
“The mate thing?” Derek was confused, and by the looks of it, he wasn’t the only one.  
“Yes, Derek, the mate thing. Y’know. The relationship between a werewolf and his one true luuuv? I’m sure you’ve heard of it.” Stiles looked smug now, his lips twitching at the corners.  
“Yes, I’m aware of the ‘mate thing’, Stiles.” Derek glared a little longer than necessary before continuing. Stiles’ smirk only grew. 

“The mate bond is considered to be one of the most powerful things in the world. In some scenarios, the two people take a look at each other and instantly know that they’re meant to be, but in other situations, it might take years after the two parts meet before they realize what they are. Some might meet their mate and never find out that their other half is right in front of them, and others might always know who their mate is, but never find them.” 

“Not everyone has a mate, it’s rather rare, actually. The thing about mates is that they share a soul, and when they find each other, they’re whole again. Before that they’re half empty, and all they feel is a strong pull. They don’t know towards what, but they’ll feel it. Nobody actually knows why only some people has a mate, but I assume it’s because they found him or her in another life, if that's like, a thing, of course.” Stiles adds and shrugs.

Derek doesn’t know how to feel about Stiles’ elaborate knowledge of mates; he only knows that it pleases his wolf. He’s not sure how to feel about that either.

“Now, you can imagine, that when you’ve found your literal other half, you’re bound to be happy right? You feel whole again. Then, imagine that you’ll have to separate yourself from your soul again, imagine that you’d have to cut your soul in half.” Scott flinches, probably thinking about Allison, who’s away in France at the moment, and Boyd and Erica presses closer together. Nobody likes the thought of ripping your soul in half, obviously. 

Derek thinks about Paige, and while she hadn’t been part in his soul, she was a part of his heart.  
Or at least she had been. Stiles had stopped talking, and now he was looking straight at Derek. 

“You know what happens when someone’s mate gets killed?” He asks Derek. His eyes aren’t cheerful and his smirk has disappeared. Derek knew that Stiles had seen first hand what happens when mates gets separated, and he knew it wasn’t something he liked to talk about. 

“The remaining half goes insane. Their strength get’s multiplied by a thousand, and they get severe bloodlust. They will kill anything and everything around them, and they won’t stop until they’re physically exhausted. But by then, they could kill a whole town, and there’s not much you can do to stop them.”  
Derek sighs. “Where are you going with this Stiles?”

Stiles’ smile comes back bit-by-bit as he looks around at the pack. “You know how the Alpha pack will try to convince you to kill us, right? To kill your pack?” Derek nods slowly, his eyebrows being drawn together by some magnetic force. 

“That was fairly obvious, yes”

Stiles rolls his eyes. “Well, what if we convinced them that you had found your mate amongst us? That you had found your mate?” Derek does not like where this is going, he doesn’t like it one bit. Stiles’ smile has turned into a full-blown leer. 

“Stiles, I don’t think this is a goo-….” He’s violently silenced by Lydia’s hand over his mouth, and Stiles goes on. 

“What if we made them think that you couldn’t kill us, because then you’d go crazy and kill them all? Because by killing us, you’d be killing your mate, and by now, we all knows what that means.”

Realization dawns on mostly everyone in the room, and it would be comical watching their eyes widen and their mouths open, if it hadn’t been for the worry churning deep in Derek's stomach. 

Derek, though, has his doubts. For him, this means pretending to be Stiles’ or Isaacs mate, seeing as those are the only two who are single. It means pretending to be whole with a person, to be the other persons other half, and to Derek, it feels like a violation to pretend to have such a powerful bond, to... to fake it. 

He knows his parents were mates, and together they were so strong, so confident and sure of themselves and each other. They had been so powerful together, that no one dared to challenge them or their territory. Finding your mate has become rarer and rarer; it’s almost sacred at this point. 

He sighs again, snapping back to reality when Stiles says he found a way to make them even smell like mates, “They’re never going to doubt that Derek and I are together,” He smiles, happy with himself, and Derek is suddenly annoyed because does he really think it’s that easy?

“Do you even realize what it means to be mates? Have you ever seen a pair of mates? Have you seen how they behave, how they act towards each other? When you watch them they don’t seem like two people, they seem like one, because that’s what they are. This wont be nearly as easy as you make it seem.” Derek is watching Stiles with an intensity that makes Stiles swallow loudly. The pack sits still, waiting for his next move. Derek only sits back in his chair and huffs. 

“Besides, who says it has to be you? Isaac is also free.” 

Stiles looks a bit disappointed, and Derek can faintly see the flush spreading from his neck and out to the tip of his ears. 

“Actually I’m…” Isaac is trying his hardest to avoid Derek’s piercing gaze, though he’s not actually succeeding.  
“I’m... uh… I’m seeing someone…” Derek’s eyebrows shoot up into his hairline, but seems to be the only one who’s surprised. 

“Who?” 

“I wanted to keep it a secret because... well… It’s… um…. It’s. Ah, this is going to be awkward.” Isaac is mumbling now. He's looking down on his fidgeting fingers. Derek smells the nervousness coming off of him in waves, and he's starting to worry, thinking this better not be who I think it is. 

“It’s Cora. We’re in a long distance relationship.” He squeaks.  
Derek almost sees red, because of course it had to be Cora, when he hears Stiles mumble, “Well, at least they can’t have sex.” he calms down.   
Relief releases the tension in his shoulders, and he can relax again. Stiles is right, Isaac and Cora can't actually have sex when Cora is in Africa, can they? 

He looks up at Stiles, who’s now grinning wildly at him, and Derek kind of freaks out because if Isaacs taken, and the only single one left is Stiles then that means that- How did he get himself into this mess again? 

Stiles stands up from his chair and walks over to Derek. He leans down and presses a big, wet, sloppy kiss on Derek’s cheek. “Looks like it’s me and you now buddy.


	2. Practice makes perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and Derek starts to prepare for the alphas to come, Derek can't act for shit and Stiles tries to make the best of the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idek the first chapters are always the hardest, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless!

“Ugh,” Stiles grunts, carrying his’ bags up to the bedroom in Derek’s house. 

“Why are your bags so heavy? What could you possibly have in here that weighs this much?” Derek grumbles, lifting the bags up so that they wouldn’t crash into each step as he walks up the stairs.

“Oh, shut up, it’s not like you can’t handle it, you've got super human strength and everything.” Stiles whine. “I had to carry those bags myself down the stairs at home, my muscles are destroyed, ok? Destroyed.” 

Derek’s eyebrows shoot up again, because looking at Stiles, that was very hard to believe. 

Before he went of to college, Stiles had been a scrawny, clumsy kid with a buzz cut. However, when he came back for summer break the second year, Derek almost didn’t recognize him. His first instinct had been that some kid had rubbed himself all over Stiles and now smelled exactly like him (which had ticked Derek off to the point where he almost tackled him) but when he got a closer look, he had seen that it was Stiles, he just looked incredibly different. 

Apparently, Stiles had picked up swimming in college, joined a swimming club or something (he was ranting on and on to Scott about this anime about a swimming team, saying it was exactly how it was, right down to the homosexual tension and everything). 

His scrawny, flailing limbs were now elegant and toned, as much as Stiles can be elegant. He was still clumsy, but he had gained more coordination, and the baby fat that had clung to his body in high school, had finally let go. 

His arms were even quite big now, (of course, not as big as Derek’s, but then again, he had a few years head start) which was why Derek had no doubt that he was able to get his suitcases down the stairs just fine. 

“How long do you think I’m going to have to stay here?” Stiles asked, dragging him out of his own mind.

He tenses up, suddenly feeling like he’s forcing Stiles to be here, which again just makes him feel wrong.

“You don’t have to be here if you don’t want to.” He manages to get out. 

“That’s not what I meant dickhead, I’m trying to ask you what I should tell my dad.” Stiles rolls his eyes and puts his bags down when they finally reach the top floor. “I was the one who suggested this in the first place.” He huffs.

“Oh, right, then.” He doesn’t want to show it, but he’s relieved. The dirty feeling disappears with ease. 

“So. Where should I put my stuff?” The boy looks around the apartment, and lets out a slow whistle. The top floor isn’t half as big as the others, but since it’s the place Derek likes the most in the house, it’s also the place he post the most effort into styling. There’s a small, cozy living room, with a leather couch and a huge TV. There are movies stacked up both sides of it, and a small table in front of the couch, with a couple of candles on. In the opposite corner there’s a small, round sofa, which looks more like a bed if he’s honest, as well as some cushions, a blanket, and a reading light. The shelf next to it is completely filled up with books, some pressed into the cracks and some just put lazily out on top of the shelf. The furniture is minimalistic and modern, and the big window in the middle of the east wall gives the room light and an open feel.

Derek is glad that someone appreciates the house, especially since it was the house his family was supposed to move into, before the fire killed them all. 

“This place is sweet, dude!” Stiles exclaims, admiring his 52-inch plasma TV. “Where did you get the money for all of this? You have two TVs downstairs as well! And don’t think I didn’t see the Xbox and Wii down there; I am totally going to kick your ass later.” 

Derek just sighs again, because apparently, Stiles hasn’t become any less geeky than he were before he left for college. “Never mind that, let me show you to your room.”  
He grabs Stiles’ suitcases and leads him to the spare bedroom down the hall. The room is cozy and styled the same way as the living room. There’s a single bed and a nightstand as well as a mirror and a closet. There’s a big window here as well, covering almost a full wall, with heavy curtains hanging on either side of it. Derek sets the bags down inside and gestures for Stiles to come in. 

For some reason Stiles seems displeased, his face tugged down in a slight scowl.  
“Is there something wrong with the room?” Derek looks at stiles, trying to imagine what might have set him off. 

“It’s not the room, actually.” Stiles seems hesitant to continue, worry covering his face.  
“It’s just, shouldn’t we be sleeping together?” that was most definitely not what Derek had expected. Sleep together? He knew he’d said that mates basically were one, but that was not what he had meant. 

He’s pretty sure his face is flushed because it feels warm, and when he tries to think about what Stiles had just said, he starts to imagine all kinds of wrong things. He imagines Stiles pressed up against him, against the wall, grinding his hips while Derek holds him –and nope, nope nope, not the thing he should be thinking about right now, not the thing he should think about ever. 

Derek tries to speak, he really does, but all he manages is sputtering and mouthing incoherent words, so he just stands there uncomfortably. Stiles seems to have understood where Derek’s thought process got him though, because his face is also flushed, red blotches appearing on his cheeks, and a faint scent of arousal coming off of him. Derek tries to ignore it. 

Even though Stiles is a bit embarrassed, he’s by no means as awkward as Derek. “I meant sleeping together, as in sleeping. Y’know. Not the sex thing.” 

(Derek swears he can hear him continue, “I mean I’m sure we could do that too, if you’re up for it” in his mind, but that’s not possible so he pretends he didn’t hear it). He grins, chuckles a bit, but continues before Derek can say something to embarrass himself.

“No, but really though. I think we should sleep in the same bed so we smell like each other y’know? If we’re going to do this, we’re sure as hell not gonna half-ass it, especially not when the lives of the pack are at stake.” 

Derek isn’t exactly happy with it, but he nods, he’d do anything to save his pack, and if that means sleeping in the same bed as Stiles, that’s what he’ll do. 

***

The rest of the day it’s just Stiles and Derek, getting comfortable with each other, trying to get used to the touching. They decide to watch a movie, just so that they won’t have to talk all that much. They end up with Mulan, because Stiles is a sucker for strong females and the Chinese dynasty, and Derek doesn’t protest. 

Stiles suggests that they should try to cuddle, just to get a feel on how it’s going to be later (“Haha, get it? Get a feel? Because we’re touching? Because we’re cuddling?” “Your humor is awful.” “Oh shut up, you know you like it.” “No, I don’t.” “It made you smile, dickhead. Don’t think I didn’t see it, my observation skills are excellent.”). Stiles end up in the crook of Derek’s arm, leaning his head on his chest. It’s rather nice, Stiles thinks, but has to remind himself that it isn’t supposed to be real. 

By the time the movie is finished it’s already pretty late. He and Derek are supposed to meet Erica and Lydia to get coached on how to act around each other. Lydia insisted that they use the whole day, and that they start as early as possible, which is why Stiles’ alarm clock is on as early as 7:30 on a summer day.

Groaning slightly he reaches for his phone to check the time, having to escape the safety of Derek’s arm to do so. His phone tells him it’s 00:45, and Stiles lets out an exhausted grunt.

“We should go sleep, Derek.” He stands up and ruffles his hair. “Derek?” 

Stiles looks down on the werewolf and stares. 

Derek is sprawled out on the couch, as much as he could sprawl in the position he’s sitting, with his head thrown back and mouth open, and Stiles has never seen him more peaceful. He looks so at ease, so safe and unguarded, that Stiles has trouble figuring out if it was the same ‘wolf as before. It breakes Stiles’ heart when he realizes the only time he’s ever seen such an expression is when he’s unconscious, because he’s so guarded when he’s awake. Derek had become even quieter than Stiles remember from before college, and he supposed it might have something to do with the responsibility of being an alpha, of being responsible for a whole pack. 

Before Stiles can think any further, Derek wakes up, probably feeling Stiles’ unabashed stare on him. Stiles didn’t exactly expect this though, and he looses his balance and falls backwards and suddenly Derek is there, and he’s holding him, he’s holding him so close and Stiles is looking up at him just centimeters away and he feels dizzy, like he stood up too fast (which he also did but, not the point), and he wants to lean forward and – 

“Are you ok?”  
Stiles doesn’t quite catch what he’s saying, he’s too busy staring at Derek’s lips (at Derek’s everything, really). “I… what? 

“Are you okay?” Derek asks again, and this time Stiles hears him, and his face flushes for the second time that day. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He coughs, and wonders if that’s the truth. If Derek notices a catch in the rhythm of his heart, he doesn’t show it. “We should go to bed though, we’re getting up early.” 

Derek doesn’t do anything but nod and lets Stiles go before he leaves for the bedroom. 

***

Lying down on the bed, Derek discovers he’s not actually sleepy anymore. Tired, sure, but he doesn’t feel like sleeping. It might have something to do with the fact that he slept through half the movie Stiles picked, but the reason hardly matters. Stiles has gone into the bathroom to shower, and Derek can hear his steady heartbeat and the sound of rushing water even two rooms away. 

He sighs, the feeling of defeat laying itself over him like a blanket. It’s only day 1, they still have around 30 days for the alphas to appear, which meant more time than they probably needed. Especially since Lydia and Erica was going to help them. Hell, the whole pack would help them, so he was sure it would go smoothly. 

But Derek can’t get rid of the feeling of uneasiness, something is wrong, and it’s bothering him. He feels as if he has somewhere to go, somewhere to be, though he doesn’t know where, and he doesn’t know why.

Rolling over to his stomach, he decides it would be best not to think about it for now. The soft feeling of the blanket underneath him makes him sleepy again, and he can faintly feel Stiles on the bed before he drifts off into a deep sleep. 

***  
Stiles wakes up to the blaring sound of his alarm, and his first instinct is to hit the source of the noise with a bat. It’s the kind of thing you learn when you’re a human in a werewolf pack, and god knows it has saved Stiles’ ass plenty of times before. 

He doesn’t have his bat around anywhere though, so he snuggles into the person beside him further, groaning slightly. 

“Fie more minnits” he mumbles into the chest he’s laying on. Stiles’ legs are tangled in someone else’s, his arm slung over that someone’s waist, and he feels safe, he feels right. 

Of course, that’s only until he realizes whom he’s holding on to. Derek tenses up and doesn’t relax, and Stiles worries that he’s overstepped some kind of boundary. He’s not sure it’s safe to move yet though, so he waits, not moving an inch.

“Is this ok?” He asks hesitantly. Derek doesn’t reply right away, but the tension seeps out bit by bit. 

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s fine.” He answers after a long stretch or silence. “It’s not like we won’t have to do this anyway, right? We should just get used to it.” 

Yes, Stiles knew that was true, but still, it didn’t feel like Derek meant it. He was still pretty tense, and obviously not 100% comfortable with the situation. 

“Yes, we probably should, but we’re gonna get enough time to cuddle today anyway.” Stiles sighs good-naturedly. “Erica and Lydia will probably find some fun way to make us touch anyway.” 

This probably wasn’t the best thing to say, Stiles thinks in retrospect, because Derek suddenly turns very warm, and excuses himself to go shower. 

Stiles decides to make pancakes, figures that some solid breakfast is a must when they’re going to “work” all day. He feels a bit scared, he must admit, when thinking about the girls’ plan for him and Derek. He’s heard from Scott, who had been tagging along with them, that Lydia would be forcing them to go on a date tomorrow, to test out how well they can actually act. 

Before he can ponder about the destination of tomorrows’ date, the doorbell rings. 

Derek comes down the stairs, hair still wet with a towel on his shoulders, and goes to open the door. 

While Stiles expected only the girls today, Lydia has obviously made other plans. She’s brought almost the whole pack, even Peter, who usually just hung out in the loft. (Which was why they weren’t there. The loft only had two single beds, and Peter had no where else to stay.) 

“Well, well, well, I heard you two love-birds were in need of assistance?” Peter smirks, hand on his hip and everything. 

Lydia greets and rolls her eyes at Peter, before putting down her handbag and sits down on the couch. The rest of the pack gathers around her in the living room, and the only two places left are in the small loveseat sofa. Stiles don’t think it deserves the title “sofa” though, sofas are supposed to be comfy and big enough to fit at least two people. The loveseat only has room for 1 ½ ass, so Stiles is forced to sit halfway on Derek’s lap. Derek blushes slightly and puts his hands neatly on his thigh. Stiles think the blush is absolutely adorable, but he doesn’t mention it. 

“I assume you all know what’s going on here today?” Lydia looks around, naturally taking the lead in the conversation. 

Jackson raises his hand, but doesn’t actually wait for Lydia to tell him to speak.

“Why am I here again? I don’t see why you need me to make these jackasses-“ He’s cut short by Lydia’s death glare, and Stiles snickers. Derek ducks his head to hide a smile. 

“The rest of us are here to make sure Stiles And Derek are making progress with our plan. You, however, are only here to carry heavy things. There’s not much you’re good for otherwise.” Lydia smiles sweetly, and Stiles is pretty sure that she would have been the alpha if she had been a wolf, and Derek hadn’t occupied the position already.  
“Now, let’s get started, shall we?” 

*** 

The pack spreads around the house on Lydia’s instructions, splits into groups that will work on different things. 

Jackson and Scott will go get more of Stiles’ stuff, and spread it around the house, to make it look like they’ve been living together for a while. They will be putting some decorations here and there, which Stiles has in his apartment near college, at the moment. They had already started driving to Los Angeles, where he was studying Digital Humanities and Psychology. Isaac tags along, saying that he didn’t want to disturb any of the others. (Derek suspects he still feels awkward about being in the same room as Derek, and frankly, Derek doesn’t feel too good about him and Cora, so he decides to forget about it for now.)

Erica and Boyd will plan his and Stiles’ dates. They will also be planning a day to spend together, all four of them, so that Derek and Stiles can study and copy the behavior of a healthy relationship. (“Healthy? Are you sure? At least one half of that couple is insane, Derek“ “Oh, shut up Stiles, you’re twice as crazy as both of us and you know it,”). 

Lydia and Peter will work on making Stiles and Derek more comfortable around each other, which is why the four of them is now alone on the top floor. 

“So, just to know how we’re doing, how much have you guys done so far?” Lydia is sitting on the couch with a notepad on her lap, seemingly ready to take notes. “I need to know what I’m working on here.”

Derek isn’t the only one who’s lost though, Stiles doesn’t seem to know what the banshee is talking about either. “How much? I don’t get it,” Stiles questions. 

Peter sighs and Lydia rolls her eyes. “What have you guys done so far? Of what I’ve seen today, you’ve barely even touched each other voluntarily.”

Lydia raises her eyebrows, but none of the boys seem to understand what she’s referring to. 

Peter puts his head in his hands. “What did you guys do yesterday, then? Let’s start there.”

“We didn’t do much, really.” Derek shrugs. ”Stiles moved in, and we watched a movie. We’d both eaten before Stiles got here, so we went straight to bed. “ He’s too embarrassed to talk about how they had cuddled both while they were sleeping and while they were watching the movie. At least he’d been unconscious the majority of both times. 

“That’s not what he meant, dumbass.” Stiles interfere. “He means how comfortable we are with each other now. As in, did we do touchy-feely stuff.” He nudges him in his side, and winks at Peter. “This big sourwoulf is too shy to tell you how we held each other during the movie. He’s a big teddy bear.” 

Peter throws his head back and laughs, and Lydia smiles, taking notes. 

“Good. At least you’ve gotten some action, even though it’s pretty child-friendly so far. You need to do more than that, remember that the Alphas will expect a little more explicit behavior from two mates.” Lydia looks up from her notes, studying them slightly. 

“We’ll start a bit more casual touches today, but I want a kiss before the day is over. Peter will direct you because he’s actually seen two mates in action before. I will assist him and take notes on your progress.” 

Derek gulps, and Stiles looks curiously at him. He hadn’t been in a serious relationship since Kate, if he could call that a serious relationship. He’d only done hookups from time to time, but nothing more serious than that. 

Stiles, though, he knew, had been in several long-term relationships, the longest one had lasted over a year, and Stiles and the blond girl- Heather, he remembers- wouldn’t have broken it off if Heather hadn’t gone away for college in Europe somewhere.

So naturally, he’s nervous. He doesn’t know how to act, and he doesn’t know where to put his hands or feet, doesn’t know when it’s ok to touch Stiles or where to touch him at all. 

Peter orders them to stand around the house to do casual things like cook, or do the laundry or just watch TV, which wouldn’t have been that bad, except, he tells them, and he quotes “I want you to try to make even the smallest touch intimate. Derek, if you two had actually been mates, every gesture you make could mean a thousand things, and Stiles would understand them all in an instant. Mates can hold a conversation with their eyes, and if you want the alphas to believe you, you will have to be able to do that as well.” (Stiles mumbles something about how Derek might not being able to talk with his eyes, he sure as hell had no problems speaking with his eyebrows. Derek can’t exactly disagree with that.) So doing casual things, suddenly doesn’t feel that casual anymore, which turns Derek into an awkward, stuttering, scowling mess. 

It makes him impossible to work with, and Peter calls for a break after 3 hours of what Derek thinks can only be described as agony. 

Lydia and Stiles sits down with Erica and Boyd on the couch to discuss their plans for the next week, while an annoyed Peter drags Derek into the bathroom. 

Peter turns on both the shower and the sink, so that Erica and Boyd won’t hear them as easily. 

“Nephew, are you ok?” Peter asks, which is definitely not what Derek expects to hear, but answers anyway. 

“Yes?” He says, questioningly.

“Then what the hell is your excuse for acting like a complete doofus?”

Derek is pretty sure nobody in the twenty-first century actually says “doofus” anymore, but he lets it slide. 

“I, uh. What?”

“You couldn’t do anything I asked you to do with Stiles, what the hell is that about?” Peter hisses, clearly trying to keep his voice down. “I didn’t actually think you’d be very good in the first place, but you are completely incapable to even touch Stiles’ arm without blushing like a 13 year old!” Derek’s eyes flash at that, but he didn’t mean to, which shows just how bad he is. 

“I don’t. Know.” he growls. “I don’t know how to act, okay? I haven’t been in a relationship after I was 15. You and I both know how badly the only two relationships I’ve ever had went. So I. Just. Don’t. Know.” 

He has to support himself on the sink, and takes a couple of seconds to steady himself. When peter speaks again, his voice is softer than before, gentler.

“You do have a point.” he sighs. He seems to hesitate before speaking, debating whether or not to continue. 

“Do you remember your parents?” suddenly Derek has to support himself on the sink again. “Your parents were mates. You knew that though, didn’t you.” It isn’t a question. “When acting with Stiles, could you try to imagine your parents? If you can imagine them, and try to act like they acted, you will do fine.”

Derek nods, but a pang of loneliness hits him in the gut, and he feels the need to escape. He quenches the 

“Now what do you say, should we try again?”

The following hours goes smoothly. Peter directs them the same way as before, but this time, Derek thinks of the way his mother looked at his father, the way her hands would linger on his arm when they talked, and the way his father used to hold her close when she was upset, as if he could shield her from the world. 

He still finds it a bit awkward, but imitating his parents helps, and the closeness to Stiles suddenly feels natural. Stiles picks up on Derek’s behavior change, and he tries to return the loving touches and close hugs, and by the end of the day he feels like he never wants to let Stiles go.

Both Peter and Lydia seems happy with them by then, and Derek is about to say goodbye when Lydia objects. 

“That was great boys, but there’s still one thing left. I need at least one kiss today, and then you’re done.” 

Derek turns bright red at this, he can feel it, and Peter raises his eyebrows at him. 

He turns to Stiles, who’s face is suddenly is very close to him, much closer than what they’ve been all, and Derek can feel his soft breath on his face. Derek looks at Stiles, really looks, and realizes that Stiles has very nice moles, and very nice eyes and very nice everything, and red blotches are starting to appear on his cheeks, and they’re both leaning forward slightly, and Derek’s gaze is brought to Stiles’ lips, and Stiles is whispering “It’s only acting, right?” and then he’s kissing him, and it’s soft and careful and sweet, and Stiles is moving his lips against Derek’s, and it’s almost too much and it’s over way too fast. 

When they separate, they stand still and stare at each other for what seems like forever, until Lydia clears her throat and they’re brought back to reality. 

Peter doesn’t say anything after that, and except a farewell when they leave, he just smirks, the bastard. 

When everyone has left, Stiles and Derek goes straight to bed. They don’t talk, and they don’t touch. Derek just tries to forget the kiss ever happened, while he’s trying to ignore the warm feeling that has lingered in his chest since.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter will be up within the next week, since it might be longer and it might be harder to write, and also I've started reading a new book, so I'll be caught up with that a bit as well.
> 
> This is un-betaed, I don't actually have a beta, so please excuse any grammar mistakes or anything like that. I only proofread it twice or so before publishing so eep. 
> 
> Also, next chapter will be mostly from Stiles' pov, just fyi.
> 
> Again, comments and kudos are highly appreciated, and I can try to fit in requests you leave in the comments ;)


	3. Aconitum Vulparia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The alphas are coming faster than they thought, and Stiles knows that they won't be able to convince them unless they're as close to mates as they can be.   
> Deaton sends them to distract the alphas at the zoo, and they find themselves enjoying it a little too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there might be some triggers in here, like violent and graphic language, and also there's a panic attack in here somewhere, just so you're aware of that. 
> 
> Sorry for the delay, it's been a hectic week. I really like this chapter though, I hope you do to :)

A couple of days later, Stiles finds himself standing in front of a Zoo. Derek isn’t far away; he had left Stiles alone in front of the entrance to go get tickets. 

Looking up at the big sign above him that read Sacramento Zoo, he was reminded of the days spent here with his mother when he was a kid. It had been tradition to go here every year on Stiles’ birthday, and every time, they would see all the animals, even though they’d done the same thing the years before. Stiles had always said that it wouldn’t be fair to the animals that got left out. Claudia had laughed, but agreed, thinking that her sons’ sense of fairness was rare for children that young. Or at least, that’s what she’d told him.

His mom had just gotten sick when Stiles turned nine. Claudia had insisted that they’d go to the zoo anyway, like they had done for the past eight years. The Sheriff had been a bit more hesitant, but he’d told Stiles a few years later that Claudia had sat him down and explained that this might be the last normal experience she’d get with Stiles. He had appreciated the memory a lot more after that. 

“Hey, you ok?” Derek appeared beside him, making him jump.  
“What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Shaking his head, he walked inside, grabbing Derek’s hand as he moved. They had gotten better at the touching, though it had been awkward as hell since the kiss happened. Luckily, Lydia hadn’t made them do it again, though they couldn’t look each other in the eyes nonetheless. 

Peter had come down to the house on the fourth day and told them that the Alphas might come sooner than they had anticipated. He hadn’t specified how soon, but the grave look on Peter’s face told them they didn’t have much time left. 

“They might already have people here.” Peter had looked hopeless, which had made Stiles scared, because if the big bad wolf has lost hope, then they were in very, very deep shit. 

Derek had taken out his phone and dialed Deaton almost immediately after. He’d explained the whole situation and asked, in frenzied panic, what the hell he was supposed to do. 

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you Derek, if they’re already here, there’s not much you can do. You and Stiles haven’t nearly enough time to even act like mates, never mind the physical parts of it.” 

“Please, Deaton, is there anything you can do? If not, we- we’re dead. All of us. I can’t – I won’t let them die. Not again.” Derek had been close to crying then, his voice breaking and his eyes watering. Sties hadn’t realized just how much the pack meant to him until then, but looking at his shaking hands almost crushing the phone, he just wanted to hold him close and tell him everything was going to be ok. That he wouldn’t let anything happen to him, or to the pack. It’s not supposed to feel this real, he remembers standing beside Derek, his hand on his arm, his fingers tracing a soothing pattern on his skin. 

“There is… one thing, that I can do. But I will need at least seven hours to prepare it, and I need the alpha’s distracted. If they’re here, their attention will be on you, Derek. You have to get them as far away from the town as possible without seeming suspicious. Perhaps you and Stiles can go visit the Zoo in Sacramento? It’s the closest zoo around here, and it’s also not too far away. Make a date out of it. And remember that they could be watching every breath you take.” 

And that was how they’d ended up in a crowded zoo on a Thursday. 

Humming beside him, Derek looked down at the map he held in his hands. “I think we should start on the far end. There’s a vet there and Deaton asked if we could pick up something for him.”

“What? When did he do that?” 

“He sent a text just now. He asked for some kind of animal anesthetic or something, he said he needed something stronger than what he already had.”

Frowning, Stiles reached for the map Derek was holding. 

“Hey, I’m not done with that!”

Stiles ignored him, focusing instead on finding the vet’s office. 

“Ooh, it’s right by the kangaroos! And there’s an education center there as well, Derek, can we go?” 

Sighing, Derek took the map back and scowled at it. 

“Sure. Although I think the education center is for kids.”

***  
“So, what do you wanna see next hun bun?” Stiles grinned as they left the giraffe’s cage, hand in hand. They’d been there for hours now, and they only had a few animals left to see. 

“Oh, I know you want to visit your relatives, sweetie, let’s go visit the monkey’s first.” Said Derek, surprising a laugh out of him. He found himself laughing more and more with Derek, feeling comfortable enough to let himself loosen up a bit more. 

“Oh, please, I’m obviously related to the fast and elegant cheetah, have you even seen me?” Stiles would flick his long hair if he had it, but as it was he was reduced to miming it. He nudged his elbow in Derek’s side and winked.

Derek laughed, and Stiles felt himself staring at his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, exposed as his head was thrown back. Stiles just wanted to lick up that throat, leave bite-marks and hickeys all over it and ugh, he seriously needed to get his priorities straight.  
“A cheetah is the last thing I think of when I think about you.” Shaking his head, Derek chuckled and kissed his cheek. 

“What do you think of when you think of me, then?”  
Remembering the conversation with Deaton, Stiles moved in front of Derek, and leaned towards him so that they looked like any young couple in love.  
Derek’s chest felt warm against his, his arms wrapping around him tightly. 

Holding him close, Derek lowered his head to Stiles’ ear, talking loud enough so that any werewolf could hear, but low enough so that it seemed like his words were only meant for him. 

“I think dirty, dirty things, Stiles. Do you want me to tell you what they are?” 

His breath hot against his neck, Stiles shivered. The whole situation felt a lot more real than it probably should. 

He wanted to kiss Derek, he really did. But after how awkward it had been after the last time they did it, he was hesitant. 

Still, Stiles wasn’t one to waste an opportunity to make out, and he grabbed Derek’s chin, bringing his mouth closer to his. “Nah, I think you’d better show me.” His hand brought him closer before he could finish, and then their lips crashed together.

Stiles could get lost in the feeling of Derek’s lips, it felt so fucking good. Both their hands were grabbing at the other, trying to get closer, trying to hold on to whatever they could.  
The kiss got deeper and deeper, and eventually they came up for air.  
They broke apart, their breaths coming out ragged and heavy. Derek’s lips were swollen and his face was flushed, and Stiles just wanted to take him home and push him onto their bed and just do things to him. 

“Wow, the two of you really need to get a room.”

“Excuse me?” Stiles hissed, still holding on to Derek. Derek looked suspiciously over at the lady standing in front of them, and Stiles fought hard to control the urge to hide behind him. 

The lady was tall, and everything about her was dark. Her clothes all black, her hair black, even her eyes were so dark brown they might as well be black as well. Her skin seemed to be glowing, though there were three rough lines on her neck, from her collar bone to her ear on the other side of here face. The scars stood out against her dark skin, making them more visible. Stiles didn’t even want to think about what could have made them. 

The lady’s appearance was intimidating enough, but there was more than that that scared Stiles. It had been the way she had so suddenly appeared, so sudden that not even Derek had noticed her. Stiles knew it was probably more his fault than Derek’s for distracting him, but still. It was unnerving. 

“You realize that this is a public place right? There are a lot of kids here.”

Derek had gone still, and Stiles was worried. He was still fighting that urge to go hide somewhere, so he guessed Derek wasn’t feeling much better. 

“Who are you?” Derek’s voice came out as a growl, deep and threatening. 

The lady’s eyes narrowed, and the way her eyebrows moved reminded Stiles of Derek. 

“I don’t think you should worry about who I am, but rather why I’m here. I think you know who sent me, don’t you Derek.” 

“How do you know my name?” 

“Oh, please. You know how I know your name. The alpha’s knows more than just the names of their recruits. I’m here to make sure they don’t miss anything new.” 

“So basically, you’re their spy.” Stiles voice wasn’t anywhere near as strong as he wanted it to be, he wasn’t even sure she’d heard him. 

“No, I’m not their spy.” She spat the word, as if it tasted fowl in her mouth. “I’m not theirs. They paid me a good price, and they’re dangerous enough to make you know that no’s not an answer but a death-sentence. I’m only working for them temporarily. You’d do well to remember that.” 

Stiles’ could feel the beat of his heart thumping faster and faster, beating so hard that he could feel it thumping all the way down to his toes. 

Derek moved so that he could hold Stiles close to his side, his arm wrapped around his shoulders and the other one on his waist. He felt safe there, felt at home. He wanted to stay there forever.  
Get a grip, Stiles. He thought bitterly. It’s only a show for the spy. 

“If you’re a spy, why did you show yourself to us. Last time I checked, spies are supposed to secretly gather information. It’s not very secret if you tell the people you’re spying on that you’re spying on them, now is it.” Stiles held on to Derek, reminding himself that he had to act like a mate would, now more than ever. 

“I don’t need to hide anymore, I’ve been watching you all day. I got all the info I need.” A smile touched her lips, but withered away quickly. “Besides,” She sighed. “The alphas will arrive tomorrow anyway.” 

Stiles’ breath knocked out of him, and hadn’t Derek held him up, he would’ve fallen to the ground.  
“Tomorrow?” He squealed. 

That’s not even 24 hours away. 24 hours. Not 24 days, like they had imagined they had left, but less than 24 fucking hours. Hours. They might not even have 12 hours; the lady hadn’t specified when they would be coming. They would never be ready in time, they would never manage to convince them, and all of them would die, and it would be their fault, because they couldn’t fucking act. Because he couldn’t convince them that he was Derek’s other half. That he loved him so much that he would die if something happened to him.  
Stiles thought of his whole town murdered, his teachers being ripped apart, the owner of the diner by the station nailed to the wall, blood dripping from her head where an imaginary knife had impaled it.  
And then there was his father, who they would with no doubt take first, just to prove a point. He imagined the Sheriff in graphic detail, everything down to the wrinkles by his eyes; to the way he scrunched his mouth together when he concentrated.  
Then he imagined him gone, taken away from him. He imagined looking down at his lifeless body, the empty eyes and cold hands, and he knew that the alphas wouldn’t stop there. They would take everything away from them, from him and Derek, from the pack, until Derek finally agreed, or until the pack willingly gave itself up to save the town. 

“Stiles. Stiles look at me, you need to breathe.” 

Derek was sitting in front of him, one hand on his shoulder, one hand on his chin. Stiles was also sitting down, and he realized he was crying, hyperventilating, panicking, and Derek was trying to calm him. 

“One breath at a time, Stiles. Breathe with me, ok?” Stiles nodded and tried to focus on Derek’s red eyes. He found himself wondering if anyone would notice, but came to the conclusion that he didn’t really care. He had bigger problems. He would much rather imagine Derek’s red eyes in a completely different setting, one where he wouldn’t have to pretend to be in love, because he actually was. Wait. That didn’t sound right. He wasn’t in love with Derek. Was he? Again, he decided that that was another problem for another time. His first priority right now was to breathe, and he wasn’t doing so well. 

“Are you ok?” Derek’s voice was tender and close, but Stiles wanted it closer. He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. His hands found Derek’s neck, and he pressed him closer, so that their foreheads pressed against each other. 

“I’m not ok at all. But I’m not sure I’ll be any more ok an hour from now, either.” He said after a couple of minutes, when he gotten his breathing under control and his heartbeat was down to a steady rhythm. 

Stiles hadn’t really noticed that the lady was still there, but now when he stood up, he saw her look down on them with a curious expression. 

“I believe I’ve got all the info I need, and it seems like the two of you need to figure out some things. I’ll give you one piece of advice; don’t provoke Deucalion. Always be polite and kind, if you can. If you’re rude to him or get him angry, he will kill you. He won’t care bout a possible recruit if they don’t fear him enough to do as he says.” With that, she turned around and walked away on her high heels, clicking against the pavement rhythmically. 

“Wait!” Derek yelled after her. She stopped around 20 meters away, her hair waving behind her in the wind. “What’s your name?”

She smiled a wide, blinding smile and looked back at them. “Breaden.” She said, turned, and left.  
***  
Derek was gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were aching, and he didn’t release the grip before the swung the car into the parking lot in front of the vet’s office. He could feel Stiles worried look on him, but he didn’t look back. The worry he felt went deep into his bones, and he didn’t want to upset Stiles further. 

Stiles had had a panic attack in the zoo, and though he didn’t want to admit it, (to himself or to Stiles) he had felt as if it was he who had the panic attack, not Stiles. The look on his face when he sank down to the ground was burned into Derek’s memory like a tattoo; his face had been completely white, so white that he had been worried he would faint. And his eyes had been wide, filled with tears and his lips had been quivering. Derek had just wanted to hold him close and cry with him, but he needed to comfort him, needed to make him feel safe, make him feel better. 

Before the meeting with Breaden, the day had been great. As soon as he managed to forget about whatever was going to happen later, he genuinely enjoyed himself with Stiles. It had felt natural and right. He’d laughed more than he had in years, all because of Stiles. He also couldn’t complain that he had an excuse to touch Stiles now; that he was allowed to hold him close. It was something he found himself thinking of as a luxury nowadays. Being able to hold someone. He had kissed Stiles a lot as well, which he secretly thought of as the highlights of the date. He’d kissed him soft and tentative, and he’d kissed him hard and carelessly. The best kiss had been interrupted, and it turned out it would be the last kiss they had as well. 

Deaton was already standing in the door entrance when Derek parked the car, and Stiles jumped out and practically ran towards him. 

“They’re coming tomorrow, please tell me it’s done.”

For some reason, Deaton didn’t look surprised by the new arrival date, only worried. He waved them both in and positioned them behind the steel table.  
“It’s nearly done. The serum is almost finished.” He nodded towards Derek. “Do you have the thing I asked for?” 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small packet of anesthetic.  
Deaton took it and emptied the content into a small glass, filled with a black-ish, blue-ish liquid. He could smell that there was wolfs bane in it, but the kind was unknown to him.

“This one is for you Derek, I have a separate one for Stiles.” He pushed a similar glass towards Stiles, who took it and looked at it skeptically. “You can sit down on that chair in the corner and drink that, Stiles. It won’t activate you until Derek has drunk his. You’re gonna need that chair though.”

Stiles did has he was told, and cringed when he held it up to his nose. “What did you put in this? Horse poop?” 

Deaton smiled vaguely and glanced over at him. “I don’t think you want to know.” Stiles’ smile disappeared and he looked down at the drink in horror. 

“Bottoms up.” He mumbled, and swallowed the whole thing. His body convulsed and his eyes rolled back, but before Derek had the chance to react, he was back to normal. 

“Yuck. That was unpleasant.” 

“It will be worse for you, Derek. The anesthetic will keep you paralyzed, but you will still feel the effects of the wolfs bane. The wolfs bane is meant to trigger something in you, so that you and Stiles will be mates. The effects of the serum are only temporarily, of course.” 

Temporary mates? Derek had never heard of such a thing in his entire life. If anyone would be able to come up with this, though, it was Deaton. 

“It’s similar to the herb I read about. The one that would make us smell like mates. The text said that it would trigger a hormone that would create a near-identical smell to the one mates share.” 

“Yes, the one you’re talking about is very similar to the wolf’s bane I’m using here. This one is called Aconitum Nappellus, and is a much stronger version of the normal Aconitum Vulparia. Nappellus is lethal not only to wolves, but to humans as well, but I used a much small dose for Stiles, as well as an antidote, so that you wouldn’t die from it. It did give your body a shock though, but I believe you should be immune to Aconitum Nappellus now. Not forever, of course, but the antidote is strong, and will last for at least a year.  
“For you, Derek, I have to mix a different serum, because your body needs a stronger dose for it to react at all. If I put the antidote in at the same time, your body will heal before it will have a chance to trigger your wolf. This is where the anesthetic comes in. It will keep you down when the wolf tries to heal you. You will feel the urge to vomit, your temperature will rise significantly, and you will feel a painful tingling in your whole body, particularly your chest. While you’re like this, Stiles will give you some of his blood. This is essential, because your wolf won’t know who to bind itself to otherwise.” Derek heard a slight catch in Deaton’s heartbeat at that, but he couldn’t figure out why he would lie about it. “Then, I will inject the antidote, and your body will heal itself within seconds. You won’t be immune as long as Stiles will, but you will be immune for quite some time, I would say for at least one month. After that, you’re mated. You will be mated until the serum loses its effect.” Again Derek heard the catch in his heartbeat. Deaton was definitely lying, but he couldn’t figure out for what. 

“Are you ready?” 

As ready as he’d ever be, which was not at all. He braced himself and nodded. He took the drink in his hand and sat on top of the steel table, thinking that it couldn’t possible taste worse than the cookies Stiles had made that one time. He took a sniff. Nope. Definitely worse. 

He held his nose and downed the liquid in one gulp. The effects were immediate. His whole body gave and he collapsed, unable to move, unable to breathe. His body was tingling, as Deaton had said. He felt hot and sticky, and he felt sick.  
He shifted, his eyes flashing red, hair growing out on his face. He heard voices in the distance, something about Stiles. Stiles. He needed Stiles, wanted Stiles. He needed him to hold him, to look him in the eyes and tell him it was going to be ok. He felt something wet on his lips, and he opened his mouth to taste it. It tasted bitter. It tasted good. It tasted Stiles. He felt a needle in his arm, and the pressure was taken off of his body after a moment. 

As his eyes shifted into focus, he saw a familiar face, and his heart was filled with satisfaction. Stiles was bent over him, the pure look of love filling his eyes, and Derek was sitting up, taking his head in his hands and said one single word, that filled his whole being with the feeling of being at home, of belonging. 

“Stiles,” He breathed, and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ho ho, what's gonna happen now? I'm very happy with the way this chapter came out, though it's not as long as the last one. 
> 
> Kudos and comments really make my day, and I appreciate it so incredibly much, it's unreal. Thank you for all the comments and kudos I've gotten so far, I'm very grateful :)
> 
> I'm not going to make any promises about the next chapter. I might write two chapters before uploading, because in a week or so, I'll barely have any time at all to do anything, so that will give me some time. 
> 
> My tumblr: tesstess-tessa.tumblr.com if you have any personal questions or anything at all rly, you can find me there :)

**Author's Note:**

> hohoho I can't wait to get to the good stuff ;)  
> but anyway this is my first published work, and I would love some feedback so I could improve.  
> Idk when the next chapter will be up, hopefully soon, but I can't say anything for sure


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